tokyohabs

I like Beauchemin and don't think he was all because he played with superstars. Think Spacek is very much an upgrade on Komi, Dandy, Cube, in terms of the abilities we now seek: puck moving, puck savvy, skating. But the key to the d is how well Gorges improves in Martin's system; and how well Gill and O'Byrne can respond to being the physical elements on the d corps. Frankly I have no confidence whatsoever in O'Byrne and am unimpressed by Gill. Who knows, maybe the new regime will be right for them.

Beauchemin is coming off major knee surgery. Look at the Habs now: no-one on the team had missed significant time recently. I really think this was the main factor going away from Beauchemin, and I am a big fan. Not a justification, but trying to fit it into a logical pattern. Plus having Spacek playing a #2 or #3 role will be very, very good for us. habs29RET: Barring winning the Cup and Conn Smythe, there is no way Calgary could have re-signed Cammalleri after the Jokinen trade. Your comments are correct on Gomez, but Gomez now and Koivu now are far apart and growing further apart. Bob is gambling on Gomez being re-united with Gionta and playing within a clearly defined system, playing with mobile, attacking, passing d men, and playing with either a huge young winger or a small lethal sniper. It is a gamble, I am first in line to point it out, but it is also like the signing of Gionta: of course no-one would give him 5m a year...unless they had the guy who played with him on his 48-goal season. Bob couldn't afford to be in f around dither mode this year, he wanted the changes and he got them. It remains to be seen if this works. It is a huge gamble, and could possibly cripple us cap-wise down the road. It certainly screws us for next year when team will be desperate to unload big contracts. But one gamble that was never going to pay off, was sticking with the team we had that limped into 8th place, that had a horrific injury run, that collapsed after (actually, 2 games before) the All-Star break, that had the same core over a number of years none of them successful save one, and worst of all that was so lifeless and beaten over the final 4 games and those infernal playoffs that to make a couple of changes here and there would have been diabolical inertia. I remember watching the tail end of game 3, actually in a perverse way hoping the sweep would happen so we wouldn't have to drag it out over our lifeless mangled corpse. The future might be ours. The recent past was never going to be.

Spacek est supérieur que Francois pour le style 'puck-possession' que Martin va introduire a l'équipe. En plus, Spacek n'a pas eu une blessure MAJEURE au genou. J'admets d'etre un fan de Beauchemin, j'aurais aimé beaucoup de le voir avec nous, mais pour cette prix et voyant les autres qu'on a embauché, je ne crois pas que c'est un grand gaffe du d-g, pas du tout. S'il n'avait pas signé Hamrlik...a l'époque y-avait quelqu'un ici qui a grondé? Hamrlik sera beaucoup meilleur l'an prochain avec un system cohésif. Et en plus on à la relève qui s'en vient en force... Si Francois Gagnon veut un défenseur Québecois, il-y-a toujours Mathieu Carle des Bulldogs. (ou sont les accents circonflexes sur mon keyboard!!!)

Maybe from an age standpoint only, but otherwise there is no comparison possible here. Sign him quick then package that fool off somewhere.

I could say that for whatever reason it wasn't working with us for Higgins, one of my favourite Habs and I guy I openly championed as our next captain last season. He's not snake-bit, he can't score. that's all. But he found his niche on the lower lines, I bet he becomes an excellent 2-way winger on the third line. Maybe with us next year? "Kiss kiss, all is forgiven Chris, by the way we rented an apartment for you and your Mom, just like the Expos did with Mrs. Guerrero and her boys..." No objection that Bob overpaid for Gomez and will now overpay him on his insane contract. But he was available, and I think Mathias Brunet pointed out in an article that it isn't necessarily a bad thing to get a guy still young, two years removed from great success, plays hard all the time, good wheels, to come into a system-oriented team like Martin will make us. Maybe it will work, and Bob sees it as a gamble much better than Vinny would have been. No argument either about not frontloading contracts, in particular Gionta making 5 million at 35 years old is worrisome. Plex is dead meat. Jury still out on both Kosts, though A has the makings of a fine sniper and S looks to have the total skill set. If we had signed Tanguay while injured to a healthy long-term contract I feel it would have been nearly impossible to move him. Everyone would want to see him put in a full season healthy. Thus the reason that I think Bob replaced him with Cammalleri - more durable, in addition to younger and not that much more expensive. If Bob had tried to undercut Tanguay significantly, he would have just waited for UFA status anyway. Bob really went for healthy players in a big way. The D will be younger, two of our guys look ready now, one on the brink, a potential stud in Russia, a high-draft NCAA kid, along with Gorges and an in-prime Markov...the guys we signed will be gone as the kids start coming through the ranks. Couldn't believe that Bob didn't go for Beauchemin, but he got guys who don't miss much time at all. One point about Bob losing all his assets for little or nothing: he can't tank, he can't give up on a playoff appearance while there is still a chance. This isn't Nashville, trading away Souray might have cost him his job, giving up last year on the playoffs during our 100th year shenanigans was political suicide. Signing then dealing Kovalev is a nice idea, but who knows what would have happened on the team had he been here? Or if he would have even been trade-able? We had one serious drama with #27 last year, when Bob saw a chance to replace him one-up with Gionta he didn't hesitate. Character over talent, I guess (not that I disliked Kovalev at all).

I thought habs29RETIRED's last two lines were very good. Other than that, Takabru has done a great rebuttal job. Gainey and many, many others felt that the core was rotten. So he ripped it out. He got guys who put up points, play hard, and are durable. If we hadn't paid what we did, we wouldn't have got them and be looking at essentially the same team minus Koivu and Higgins, with Kovy as Captain. Komisarek was not going to sign here. He no longer fits, I'm not upset at all, we got a better on-the-puck d-man in Spacek. When he, Hamrlik and Gill are gone the youth will be coming in steadily - all guys who can play with the puck and skate. I have no idea if it will work. But I'm excited about the new team, and I admire Gainey for being very, very bold. You have money against the cap? Spend it.

Yes, one year with a small raise. I think maybe that Sather and Bob have a gentleman's agreement: I let you fleece me on the Gomez deal Glen; we send Higgins to 'rehab' with the Rags for a year, then you send him back to us at the deadline. NYC may have more temptations than Montreal, but his parents also live there... I'd laugh if this were true.

There are grains of truth in what nyckid says. But the biggest reasons imo are two-fold: 1) Komi clearly wanted out as we went down the stretch. I couldn't believe some people thought he'd come back after the playoffs, rarely seen a guy so obviously swan-songing. Whatever about Bob not resigning him early, too bad but been and gone. 2) The team is going in a direction incompatible with Komi's style of play and, more importantly, a style that will not be able to cover up his weaknesses so readily. Gill, though I don't like him, is gone in two years. Komi would never have signed only a 2 or 3 year deal, so we were going to have him for 5 at least. Why bend the whole new d philosophy backwards for one guy? And it is not like we are talking Stevens or Pronger here. I and others have mentioned it before, we are going fast, mobile, puck-savvy, at least some o ability. I firmly believe Gill is the stopgap for Emelin: a rough, powerful punisher, but who can apparently skate and pass a-to-b. I honestly don't think Gainey seriously entertained anything either over 4 years or over 4 million. Like he believes in Price, he clearly believes in the youth corps, Weber, Subban, Carle, McDonagh, Emelin, etc. Leafs with better goaltending and better d corps, compact and tough, Toronto Thug Lifers, is a perfect fit for him. I also think if someone had offered him better terms he would have taken it. This had nothing at all to do with Higgins.

#91...wank. Too high. But if he goes for 80 pts, he can wear 191 for all I really care! Surprised that Cammalleri will not start beside Gomez. Maybe he'll be up there by the time camp wraps up...though I don't mind a big youngster (has to be Latendresse) on the top line, can only hope he is ready for it. And by all means split up the brothers, I was very wrong last season wanting them on the same line. Plex been traded yet?

My bad for not checking the back-end of this post, sorry mods. 10 mil for Kovy at 2 years...shame it had to be with them, but guess they'll have space once they dump Heatley. Cashed in nicely. He was a great player, not always consistent. Never had a settled line for long enough. Fantastic to watch, one of the very few who showed up for the playoffs this year.

Bah, more semantics. Koivu was an amazing individual, and the battle against cancer alone would have been worthy of legend. It wasn't all great but there were some magical nights.

Wow, they are nuts!

2nd line looks awful. I hope they mix up the 2nd and 3rd lines you have there. Very much hoping that Gorges, under better influence and system from the coach, can fully bloom into a top-4 d-man and leave Gill at 5-6 where he belongs.

As reported on RDS. http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/277829.html And Bob said Kovy won't be back. EDIT : Pearn was Martin's assistant in Ottawa and assistant in the last 4 years NYR. Groulx was Martin's goalie coach in FLA.

I'd be taken aback, frankly, if Saku is coming back. I'm sure the team would as well. No way in hell I'd pay Plex more; he isn't cut out for anything beyond a luxury 3rd-line ctr. Trade away, maybe package Halak and someone else for a ctr? That was a good question: has a judge ever lowered someone's salary in arbitration?

If Cammalleri ends up as a ctr - a very long shot I think - it would be better balance to split Latendresse and D'Agostini I think. Pacioretty-Gomez-Gionta A Kost-Cammalleri-Latendresse S Kost-Lapierre-D'Agostini Stewart-Metroopolit-LAraque (or others). Gives each line a trigger-man, a playmaker-shooter, and a ctr who should be able to pass and so something defensively. But he'll play with Gomez!

I think it fits with the d plan, though. They are a bit older as a unit; consequently, the youth will be bred into the lineup over the next 2-3 years. At forward, especially concerning this years' draft, they have given more time for a youth movement, 3-4 years. But I'd really like to see another top-4 d man to bump Gorges into the 5-6 pairing. And of course once Hamrlik's contract runs out next year, a nice offer sheet to Dubinsky. Wishful thinking I know...

Boucher wouldn't fit with bob's latest moves, concerning injuries. You can argue that Tanguay is better value and skilled than Cammalleri, but the injury threw him off it seems. All the new acquisitions are relatively durable, no? Let the trade winds blow. How nice it would be to take advantage and sign Barker or Versteeg...

Komi is gone, the 'he-said/she-said' is semantics. Spacek is more of what the team wanted: better skater, better passer, better shot, better on-ice awareness and 'hockey sense'. If they wanted a rock in front of the net, they had their shot at Komi, he might very well have stayed on an overpay. The other way to look at it, the brass clearly believes in the young d-corps presently maturing. Most of those kids seem to be from the same mould: skaters, passers, joining the rush, pp guys. Komi does not fit that style at all. Why sign that kind of guy for 7 or 8 years when clearly in 2-3 years the team will be going in a totally different direction? I honestly believe they are going to go very hard after Emelin for that ass-kicker role, but an ass-kicker who can skate and pass. And don't forget, he didn't have to sign with the Leafs: he chose them!

For Colin's poll, defo option D, but make the staches mandatory on the whole team. Then bring in George Parros, I guess. I was stunned and really upset about the Gomez deal because of his salary. I then was disappointed we didn't go harder after a Hossa / Havlat. But at more of a distance now, I appreciate that Bob has laid down the law. The underachievers for the most part are out. The distractions, true or alleged, are out. Players have been brought in with better talent and discipline (though the Gill deal utterly perplexes me). Most important, the atmosphere around the team was moribund and flat. I ask everyone to recall that western road swing we had late, I have never seen such a string of lifeless performances by a Habs team before. They looked more shocked than anyone beating Colorado because of Halak's best game ever. That had to change, and Bob figured it could not be cosmetic like choosing between Saku and Kovy: he had to rip it out. I expect a trade or two during the summer, but it is really in Martin's court now. I'm optimistic for the first time since before the Houle/Mario hirings.

Think the priorities would now be: 1) another d-man. Beauchemin ideal but can't afford him, probably have to go the trade route here. 2) a 2nd line ctr with size. This almost certainly has to come through a trade. I think Bob has had enough of Kovalev and his (side)show. He wants a fresh start to the team. He tried to get him back, but might not be too broken up about him leaving. Also, there is the idea that A Kost plays awful with Kovalev, not shooting but feeding the puck back to him. With a 'pure' sniper as his off-winger, A Kost might try to hold the puck a bit more at times and use his passing skills. Kovalev has been my favourite player to watch for some time now, but there is a new direction, and we have a lot of promise at the wing position (obviously no-one so purely talented as #27). And they can't really be thinking to play Cammalleri away from Gionta and Gomez??? Stack that top line!

Once the Blackhawks colossal cock-up becomes official: get Versteeg!

Trades. Plex must go.

That's because... you are Pierre Boivin? Cammmmallllerrrri and Gionta and Spacek are very talented; Gomez is a decent player, Gill is whatever. Don't think our talent 'downgrade' was actually all that significant. Plus, anyone who watched any of our playoffs last season knows that the core had to be changed. Bob changed the core...ripped it out. Kudos to him for going hard with change. His message since the off season began has been very clear, from coaching staff to players, about what is unacceptable.

Easy! Keep your eyes peeled when the top line is out, that speed, you might miss em if you blink. When the second line comes on, close your eyes tight...